I love the concept of Mark Crilley's book, The Drawing Lesson. Written as a graphic novel, the main character, David, stumbles across a woman drawing at the park. He compliments her skills and then begs for an art lesson. Becky kindly obliges.
Over time, David continues to ask for more lessons (no matter where and when he sees Becky) and each chapter is devoted to one specific skill. They include:
- Drawing what you see
- Shading
- Beginning with a loose sketch
- Understanding light and shadow
- Checking proportions
- Simplifying things
- Creating a Composition
- Bringing it all together
As the fictional Becky explains concepts to David, the reader is a participant in the lessons. At the end of the chapter, the reader is given an assignment that helps apply what was learned by David.
I loved the mentoring concept promoted by the book and the satisfactory way it ends. It's a fun way to introduce some art skills to young people. When this book arrived in the mail, my 9, 11 and 13 year olds had all read it within the day. At least one of them actually got out paper and tried out the ideas and noticed improvement.
This could be an excellent basis for art study done at home, an outside club (4-H, library, or scouts) or a learning station in an elementary classroom. Mark Crilley also has wonderful demonstration videos on YouTube. I highly recommend this book for all ages!
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of The Drawing Lesson from Blogging for Books for the purpose of review.
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